Poet Henry Swapan arrested under ICT act

Poet-journalist Henry Swapan, who was sued for hurting religious sentiment under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, was arrested from his residence in Barishal city yesterday.

He was sent to jail after arrest at 2:30pm.

Commissioner of Barishal Metropolitan Police Md Shahabuddin Khan said the priest of a local Catholic church filed a case against Swapan for “hurting religious sentiments of both Christians and Muslims” on social media.

The allegations were primarily found true, he added.

Before his arrest, Swapan told local journalists that he posted a status on Facebook, criticising a cultural programme on Easter Sunday (April 21) at a local Catholic church because dozens of people were killed in a terrorist attack on the same day in Sri Lanka.

Some Christians got angry due to the post, he said. “Some miscreants even gave me death threats... I went to Kotwali Police Station to file a general diary but they refused to register my GD.”

Meanwhile, local journalists brought out a procession in Barishal city yesterday, demanding Swapan’s release. Barishal Reporters Unity, Barishal Sangabadik Union, and Barishal Sanskritik Sangathan Samannaya Parishad organised the programme.

The journalist organisations, including Barishal Press Club, also declared to boycott their scheduled meeting with police today.